Varroc Lighting Systems, a global supplier of exterior vehicle lighting systems based in Plymouth Township, today announced the acquisition of Sa-ba Automotive, a privately-owned company in Istanbul, Turkey. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
With the acquisition, Varroc gains a 10,000-square-meter manufacturing and technology center near Istanbul and a 20,000-square-meter plant that is under construction in Bulgaria. The facilities will allow Varroc expanded and scalable production capacity for European customers.
“This acquisition further underscores our commitment to a global footprint that provides our customers with cost-effective, high-quality lighting products and technology,” says Stephane Vedie, president and CEO of Varroc Lighting Systems. “Turkey is a growing market, and our presence there helps us expand the services we can provide to our growing customer base, while substantially increasing our capabilities in small lighting.”
Sa-ba has offered interior and exterior small lighting products for more than 40 years, and its existing programs and infrastructure provide increased capabilities, as well as the opportunity to develop new products for truck, two-wheeler, three-wheeler, and off-highway customers.
The acquisition is the sixth business initiative in the past 16 months that directly supports the expansion of Varroc’s global product portfolio and manufacturing and engineering footprint.
This includes the opening of a new production facility in Vietnam, announced on June 27. The facility is located 30 minutes outside of Hanoi and builds upon the two-wheel lighting success of Triom, a Varroc majority-owned Italian lighting company. It also better positions Varroc to serve the four-wheel lighting market.
“Our presence in Vietnam with Triom has been very successful over the past five years,” says Vedie. “With this expansion, we now have an opportunity to build on that success. Our new facility puts us in a strong competitive position to support new and existing two-wheel and four-wheel customers in the ASEAN region.”
The new facility will employ more than 120 people.
Varroc is also establishing a manufacturing and product development base in Morocco, and recently opened new locations in Brazil, Japan, and Poland. It also recently opened an expanded Lighting Development Center in the Czech Republic.
With the Sa-ba Automotive acquisition, Varroc expands its global presence to 17 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. The company has more than 8,000 employees.
